


The Triumvirate

by chantefable



Category: J’ai vu le loup le renard chanter (Traditional Song)
Genre: Animals, Fables - Freeform, Gen, Humor, Pastiche
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 15:39:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14772422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chantefable/pseuds/chantefable
Summary: Political change in the animal kingdom.





	The Triumvirate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lilliburlero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilliburlero/gifts).



A certain ass was certain that he was certainly the most magnificent beast to grace the land.

A toad was hopping by and stopped to stare at the ass with its beady eye. The ass thought to himself, 'It is certainly well and good to be plump and round, and have a large mouth, and croak magnificently, and be blessed with such green skin. But is the toad more handsome than I? Nay.' 

A stork flew by, carrying the toad in its beak, and the ass thought to himself, 'It is certainly well and good to be able to catch toads to feed one's babes, and to have wings and fly, and be blessed with such marvellous plumage. But is this stork more handsome than I? Nay.'

A pair of cranes flew by, following the stork, and the ass thought to himself, 'It is certainly well and good to be have a mate, and to have wings and fly as you please, and be blessed with such marvellous plumage. But are these cranes more handsome than I? Nay.'

A crow flew by, following the cranes, and shrieked at the ass, frightening him. And the ass thought to himself, 'It is certainly well and good to be quick and loud, and give scary cries, and know everything about everyone, and stare with such beady eyes. But is this crow more handsome than I? Nay.'

A cat dashed through the field, keeping its eyes on the crow and giving it a merry chase. Mightily amused, the ass though, 'Serves you right, you shrieking crow! You shall soon become somebody else's feast, just like the toad! But oh, it is certainly well and good to be fast and sly, and have a fluffy tail and pointy ears, and whiskers that feel everything. But is this cat more handsome than I? Nay.'

And so the ass ate the grass, and observed a great many animals, all engaged in some sort of activity or pursuit, all heading somewhere in a sort of merry procession. 

For the one who does nothing has the leisure to watch those who do something, and thinks himself superior to everyone, for he has no knowledge of what they are doing and to what end, believing that grass-eating on the meadow is the be-all, end-all of everything in life. Beware!

And lastly, the ass saw a strange procession enter the meadow: a hare, followed by a fox, followed by a wolf. This amused him greatly, for the procession appeared far more entertaining than that of the stork, the cranes, and the crow, and the ass began to watch them attentively.

At first, the ass chewed and swallowed his grass, and thought to himself, 'Of course, it is certainly well and good to be small and grey, and hop fast and high, have wickedly sharp teeth, and do nothing but feast on delicious foods all day, growing as fat and happy as you are stupid. But is this hare more handsome than I? Nay.'

And then, the ass chewed and swallowed his grass, and thought to himself, 'Of course, it is certainly well and good to be well-formed and red-haired, shapely and lean, vile and agile, and hunt with prejudice and laugh at all the animals in the woods. But is this fox more handsome than I? Nay.'

And then, the ass chewed and swallowed his grass, and thought to himself, 'Of course, it is certainly well and good to be large and dark, and flaunt your fur with all the shades of grey, black, and brown, and eat your fill of any animal you slay, and have the final say in everything. But is this wolf more handsome than I? Nay.'

Thus delighted, the ass kept eating and watching.

Woe befalls the one who is only concerned with vain, superficial things while important affairs are afoot. Such was the fate of the ass.

Because while the ass was doing nothing but observe and share his snide, stupid observations, the hare, who was small and grey and fat and sharp, and the fox, who was shapely and red and vile and agile, and the wolf, who was large and dark and strong and mean, had formed a covenant and decided that they would take over the power in the land. 

Combining the deceitfully innocent looks of the hare, the speed and cunning of the fox, and the strength and intimidation of the wolf, the three of them decided to subjugate all the animals. All previous promises would be broken, and all previous arrangements rendered null and void. 

The toads and frogs croaked their dissent and tried to get everybody's attention, but the storks silenced their desperate political plea. The storks tried to turn the situation to their advantage and get new nesting places to breed and multiply, but were promptly outnumbered and outvoted by the cranes, who had better unity and more experience, and used their platform to breed and multiply even more, to even more outnumber and outvote the storks. The crows were quite desperately dissenting, but in the absence of support from other birds, and given the feud between the storks and the cranes, such close relatives, decided to side with the new regime anyway.

The cats, being related to the foxes, decided to bide their time and stay close to power, pleading for scraps as was their wont. 

With such a turn of events, the triumvirate of wolf, fox and hare began to rule, and all these developments had been in plain sight, for all to see. Yet no one stood up to them at any point, even though a strong kick with the hooved hind legs would have been all that was necessary to prevent such a shameful change.

Thus an upheaval had happened, and all the land felt it but the ass, who was still eating his grass and thinking about his beauty until the stork, the cranes and the crow came and carried him away as tribute to be eaten.

For the wheels of the world are turning while the ass brays.


End file.
